This invention relates generally to apparatus for thermal management of heat-generating electrical components and devices using such apparatus, including but not limited to thermally managed gradient coils in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems, and MRI systems using such thermally managed electrical components.
A highly uniform magnetic field is useful for using magnetic resonance image (MRI) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) systems as a medical device or a chemical/biological device. Popular and low maintenance cost MRI systems currently available use a permanent magnet system that creates a middle to high range uniform field in a pre-determined space (imaging volume). A permanent magnet system usually uses multiple permanent magnet blocks such as NdFeB to form a single magnetic object and to achieve a desired high uniform magnetic field in the imaging volume. In other known systems, an electromagnetic coil (such as a superconducting coil) is used to generate a high uniform magnetic field. In some systems, the magnetic field generated by such a coil can be as high as 7 Tesla, or even higher in some cases.
In known MRI systems, gradient coils are used to vary the strength of the magnetic field in particular locations of the imaging volume by introducing a constant gradient in the primary magnetic field. Varying magnetic field makes it possible to determine the location in a sample from which a signal is coming. In this manner, particular regions of a sample may be selected for analysis.
Thermal management of MRI gradient coils has a significant effect on image quality and reliability. In some known configurations, gradient coils consist of many thin layers that include copper coils, wires, epoxy, tape, and thermally conductive epoxy. Each layer thus has a thermal resistance that depends upon its thickness, surface area, and thermal conductivity.
Known MRI thermal management systems utilize cooling tubes at various locations. However, axial cooling systems (i.e., cooling tubes placed along a z-axis, nominally parallel to a head-to-toe patient axis), for example, are generally limited to covering only 15% to 25% of the volume of the MRI system due to bending limitations of the cooling tubes. This coverage is very similar to the coverage provided by serpentine structures in many heat exchangers. The limited volume coverage of axial cooling systems results in heat spreading resistance. Nevertheless, axial cooling systems provide an amount of thermal management without affecting the magnetic field and image quality with a distance of from 20 to 40 mm between hollow cooling tubes. However a temperature gradient can exist between cooling tubes placed in the same radius due to localized heat generation within gradient coils and low thermal conductivity of intermediate layers within the gradient coils.